Lead-bath apparatus for working ores



(No Model.)

* A. M; SHIELDS. LEAD BATE APPARATUS FOR WORKING-GEES. No. 552,624.

Patented Jan. 7, 1896.

IJNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. ANDREW M. SHIELDS, OF OAKLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THEMOROSCO, SHIELDS & BISHOP FUSION COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

CALIFORNIA.

LEAD-BATH APPARATUS FOR WORKING ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,624, dated January7, 1896. Application filed May 13, 1895. Serial No. 549,159. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW M. SHIELDS, a citizen of the United States,residing in Oakland, Alameda county, State of California,

have invented an Improvement in Lead-Bath Apparatus for WVorking Ores;and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus in which molten lead is employed asa bath and finely-pulverized ore or sand bearing the preeio us metals isforced through the bath for the purpose of extracting the metaltherefrom.

My invention relates to certain details of I 5 construction, which willbe more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective View of the apparatus with a part ofone side broken away. Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the stationary cap orcover, showing the interior flange which operates the gates or valves.Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the apparatus. Fig. at is anenlarged perspective View of a part of the ore-channel, showing thescraper and one of the gates. Fig. 5 shows a cluster of wells throughwhich the ore is distributed.

A is a circular pan, the bottom of which stands at an inclination, whilethe top is approximately horizontal. At the lower and deeper side ofthis pan is a well or chamber B, which. stands vertically with relationto the pan, and is adapted'to contain a quantity of molten lead, whichis kept in this state by the application of heat, either by means of afurnace (not here shown) or other suitable means. This chamber is keptso full of the molten material that its surface is nearly on a levelwith the top of the pan A.

ithin the pan A is a circular channeled ring or carrier C of suchdiameter that one edge of it reaches to the shallowest edge of the panA, while the other extends to a point beneath and within the lower partof the 4 5 chamber B. This carrier is fixed to a central shaft D turningin a step in the bottom of the pan extending upwardly and having theupper end supported by a suitable journal-box and arms from the side ofthe pan, as shown in Fig. 1. Power is supplied to rotate this shaft andwith it the disk or ring which is fixed to it'by means of gears E,belt-pulleys, or other suitable devices.

F is a feed opening or hopper fixed above the upper edge of the ring Cand in line with the circular channel which is formed around itsperiphery, so that any ore or material delivered into the hopper F willpass into the channel C at the upper side. The inner periphery of thischannel has slots or openings made in it, as shown plainly at G, Fig. 4,and in these slots or openings are pivoted the L- shaped gates H. Thepivot-pins of these gates pass through the angles of the L-shaped gatesor valves, leaving the outer ends free to turn about their pivot-pins.hen these gates are turned into the position shown at the upper side inFig. 1 one of the sides closes the slot or opening G and the other sideextends transversely across the channel C so as to close it. These gatesare turned into the position to close the channel before theyreach thehopper F, so that any material falling into the channel in front of oneof the gates will be forced to travel with the disk as it ro tates untilthe material is brought to a point within and beneath the chamber B. Atthis point the gate is opened or turned by coming in contact with ascraper I, Fig. 4, and the side which has up to this point extendedacross the channel is then turned so as to close the opening G from theinside, leaving the channel without obstruction, while the other arm ofthe gate projects toward the center of the disk or carrier. The movementof the gates is effected by a flange J, which forms a part of the coverK. This cover fits over the channeled portion of the rotating carrier Cso as to close it and prevent the contents from rising up out of thechannel when by reason of the rotation of the carrier the material iscarried beneath the surface of the molten metal in the pan.

to the sides of the chamber B and to the pan, and the inner flange J isin such position that it lies closely against the inner rim of thechannel C, and as one leaf of the gate H closes the opening or channel Git is kept in this posi- The cover is secured.

tion by this rim J while the carrier is traveling from the hopper F tothe point of discharge within the chamber B. This circular cover Kterminates against the sides of the chamber B, and as the gate II passesbeneath and within the chamber 13 it leaves the guidefiange J and isthen free to be turned about its hinge-pin when it strikes the scraperI, and will then be turned into its new position which is shown on thelower side of the drawings, Fig. 1, at II. It retains this positionuntil it reaches the inwardly-curved point J of the rim or flange J, andwhen it strikes this inwardly turned flange the gate is again turnedabout its hinge-pin until it stands in the position to advance the orewhich is received into the hopper F. The object of this is to insure themovement of the ore by a posi tive pressure, as I have found byexperience that if no such gate is employed the ore will sometimes beclogged in the groove or channel O and the carrier would rotate withoutmoving the ore. I have, therefore, employed these gates as a positivedevice for forcin g the ore down to the chamber 15.

The chamber 13, in the present case, is shown as standing vertically,and within it is a shaft L stepped in the bottom of the chamber andextending up through the closed top and through a sleeve L of largerdiameter, within which it is free to turn. Upon the upper end of theshaft L is a pulley or equivalent driving device M, and upon the sleeveL is a similar driving device M. Power is applied to drive the shaft Lin one direction and the sleeve L in the opposite direction.

Vithin the chamber B a disk N is keyed to the sleeve L, and theperiphery of this disk forms a shoe which travels in close proximitywith a die 0 formed around the interior periphery of the chamber B, andjust below the level of the out-let P through which the waste materialis discharged. To the disk N is secured a downwardly-proj ectin g flangeor arms Q, which lie closely within the periphery of the chamber 13.From this flange arms R extend radially toward the center of thechamber. The shaft L has similar arms R projecting from it between thearms R, so that as one set of arms rotates in one direction and theother in the opposite direction the material delivered from the carrierC, rising up through the molten metal is thoroughly disintegrated anddistributed through the metal, being also hindered in its upwardmovement, so that it will be exposed to the action of the metal for aconsiderable time.

S is a disk fixed below the stirrin g-arms R and R, and against thebottom of this disk the sand and material rising through the moltenmetal from the carrier 0 is first arrested. It is allowed to passupwardly around the periphery or through openings in this disk, so asnot to rise too rapidly. By this arrangement it is exposed to the moltenmetal for a long time, and any valuable precious metal contained in thesand will be taken up by the melted lead. lVhen the sand has reached thebottom of the disk N, it gradually moves outwardly by centrifugal actionand passes between the periphery of the disk and the dies 0 whichsurround the interior of the chamber, and the ore is thus subjected to agrinding and disintegrating process which will separate any of themolten lead which may still remain in it, and retain it in the chamberinstead of allowing it to pass oil. through the discharge with the wastemate rial. The fine dust and waste material gradually pass out throughthe discharge-passage P.

In some cases I have found it advisable to make more than one of thechambers B. In this case the lower part into which the carrier C entersforms one chamber, and above this point it branches out into as manychambers B as may be desired, as plainly shown in Fig. 5. This causes amore complete distribution of the sand, and by subdividing it into theseveral chambers there is less to be acted 011 in any one. Thestirring-arms and disks in this case are arranged in each of thechambers as previously described.

Ilaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. I11 an apparatus for working ores, a pan having an inclined bottom, achamber con nected with the lower and deeper part of the pan and adaptedto contain molten lead, a channeled carrier having a central shaft bywhich it is turnable, an annular groove or channel around its upperperiphery, said carrier being adapted to receive the ore at the upperand shallower side of the pan and deliver it within the bottom portionof the chamber at the opposite side, hinged gates adapted to swingacross the channel to carry the ore from its point of reception to itspoint of de livery, and then to be turned out of the channel to allowthe ore to be discharged, and means at the point of delivery and in thepath of the gate, for moving said gate out of the channel and at thesame time lifting the ore therefrom and delivering it into the moltenmetal above;

2. In an apparatus for working ores, a pan having an inclined bottom, achamber c011- nected with the lower side adapted to contain molten lead,a circular carrier fitting the bottom of the pan with its lower edgepassing beneath and within the chamber at the lower side, an inclinedplane at the lower end of the carrier, a channel formed around the upperperiphery of the carrier, a hopper fixed to deliver ore into saidchannel at the upper and shallower side of the pan, hinged L-shapedgates fitted into openings in the inner side of the channel adapted toengage the inclined plane whereby they are swung about their pivots soas to alternately extend across the channel and form gates and thenswing so as to form a part of the inner periphery of the channel, anannular cover fitting closely over the channeled carrier and having aflange on the inner periphery adapted to form contact with the gates soas to retain them across the channel while the ore is being transferredto the point beneath the receiving chamber.

3. In an apparatus for working ores, a pan having an inclined bottom, achamber connected with the lower side adapted to contain molten metal, acircular channeled carrier having a driving shaft stepped in the bottomof the pan whereby the carrier is rotated upon the bottom, a hoppersituated above the channeled carrier at the shallower side of the panthrough which ore is delivered into the channel, gates movable so as toextend across the channel and force the ore to move with the carrieruntil it reaches a point beneath the receiving chamber, a guiding flangeby which the gate is retained in this position until it reaches thepoint of discharge, said flange terminating at the side of the chamber,and a fixed inclined scraper projecting downwardly into the channeladapted to move the gate out of the channel and at the same time liftthe ore therefrom and deliver it into the molten metal above.

4. In an apparatus for working ores, a pan having an inclined bottom,the chamber connecting with the deeper side, adapted to contain moltenmetal, a circular channeled carrier rotatable upon the bottom of thepan, a hopper delivering ore into the channel at the upper and shallowerpart of the pan, gates adapted to extend across the channel and formdams by which the ore is carried to a point beneath the receivingchamber, guides by which the gates are retained in a closed positionuntil this point is reached, said guides terminating to allow the gatesto be moved, after arriving beneath the chamber, an inclined stationaryscraper projecting into the channel carrier so as to form contact withthe gates and force them, in turn, out of the channel, and at the sametime to lift the ore there from and deliver it into the molten leadabove, and other guides formed upon the opposite side so as to againclose the gates and extend them across the channel before they reach thefeed hopper.

5. I11 an apparatus for working ores, a pan having an inclined bottomadapted to contain molten metal, and a chamber connected with the deeperside of the pan, a rotary channeled carrier having a shaft stepped inthe bottom of the pan, so that the carrier moves over the bottom, ahopper into which the ore is fed at the upper and shallower side, andthrough which it is delivered into the channel of the carrier, L-shapedgates hinged at their angles and adapted to be extended across thechannel so as to carry the ore down into the molten metal and deliver itinto the chamber at the lower side, an inclined scraper at the lowerside of the carrier and in the path of the gates whereby the latter areturned out of the channel to allow the ore to be removed therefrom, anda stationary cap or cover fitting over the channeled carrier having theflange upon the inner side adapted to form contact with the gates tokeep them closed during the first part of the revolution of the carrier,said flange terminating so as to allow the gate to be opened beneath thereceiver, and bent to form contact with and again close the gate beforeit reaches the receiving point.

6. An apparatus for working ores, consisting of a pan having an inclinedbottom adapted to contain molten metal, a circular channeled carriermovable over said bottom adapted to receive ore at the upper andshallower side thereof, and to deliver it at the lower and deeper side,a vertical cylindrical chamber connected with the lower and deeper sideof the channel and through 'the lower part of which the channeledcarrier moves, a vertical rotatable shaft stepped in the bottom of saidchamber having arms projecting radially therefrom, a sleeve extendinginto the upper part of the chamber surrounding the shaft having a diskfixed thereto, and forming a shoe, a die fixed within the chamberopposite the periphery of the disk, and a peripheral downwardlyprojecting flange secured to the bottom of the disk, having radial armsprojecting between those of the interior shaft and movable in theopposite direction there from to serve as distributers, and a disksecured to thelower portion of the flange below the arms.

7. In an apparatus for working ores, the combination, of a carrierhaving swinging gates and a vessel containing molten metal, beneathwhich the carrier passes, of an'inclined scraper at the end of thecarrier beneath the vessel, adapted to engage and open the gates, andlift the ore out of the carrier and deliver it into the molten metalabove, means for operating the carrier and means for closing the gatesafter they emerge from the vessel.

8. In an apparatus for working ores, a pan adapted to contain moltenmetal having an inclined bottom, a hopper at the upper and shallowerside through which ore is fed, and one or more vertical cylindricalchambers connected with the lower and deeper side 'of the pan, acircular carrier having a groove or channel around its upper periphery,and a central shaft by which it is rotated upon the bottom of the pan sothat the channel passes beneath the feed hopper upon one side, andbeneath the receiving chamber or chambers upon the other side, astationary cap or cover fitting over the channeled carrier having aninterior guide flange and L shaped gates hinged in openings in the innerperiphery of the carrier channel and adapted to contact with the guideflange so as to be closed before arriving at the feed hopper and remainclosed until they reach a point beneath the receiving chambers where theguide flange terminates, an inclined scraper adapted to contact with andopen the gates as they reach it and to raise the material contained inthe channel and deliver it into the molten metal above, said guideflange being so arranged as to again close the gates after they leavethe chamber and before they reach the feed hopper.

I11 Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW M. SHIELDS.

\Vitnesses S. H. NoURsE, J. C. BRODIE.

